Almost there with the sunny weather and when it does arrive, this should hit the spot nicely.

The recipe is by SPICE Spring 09's Food to Wine chef Hamish McLeay Bunker Bay Café down in WA's South West. The recipe uses the new-on-the-block Cape Farm Shop's pink verjuice - their Prunes in Vino Cotto is magnificent.

Chicken with Verjuice, Sumac and Couscous
[Serves 4]

Chicken
1 No 14 free-range chicken
2 cups pink verjuice

2 tablespoons sumac
1 chili, finely diced
2 cloves of garlic, finely diced
1 teaspoon garam marsala
fresh coriander, coarsely chopped
salt
1/4 cup olive oil

Splay chicken by cutting along backbone. Remove wing tips. Splash thighs and thick section of breast and drumsticks with verjuice. Wash and rub with all ingredients except salt and coriander. Leave for one hour turning every now and then. Grill on both sides to seal and colour, seasoning with salt.
Roast skin side up till cooked at 190·C with sweet potato tossed in same marinade. Baste occasionally with excess marinade. Serve with couscous.

Couscous
2 cups instant couscous
2 cups boiling water

Pour water over couscous, cover with cling wrap and leave for 15 minutes.

1 small red onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon preserved lemon, finely diced
1/4 cup finely shredded mint
1/4 cup finely shredded coriander
1/4 cup toasted chopped pistachio or almonds
1/8 cup strong fruity olive oil
2 red chillies, finely diced (seeds and membrane removed)
black pepper and sea salt to taste

Fluff couscous with fork and mix in all ingredients. It's important that everything is finely chopped to give an even distribution of flavours.

Posted by anthony at 11:19 AM | Permalink

It's been quite the sensation overseas and now Julie & Julia will rumble into town and we've got some sneak preview double passes to give away. Previews are for October 3rd and 4th

The film is a foodie must and intertwines the stories of author of Mastering the Art of French Cooking and WWII OSS member Julia Child and Julie Child - food blogger. It's gathered a great set of reviews over at Rotten Tomatoes.

To get a double pass email [film AT spicemagazine DOT com DOT au] us with the answer to this question ... Meryl Streep appeared in another film concerned with eating but it was set in Australia. What was the film and what was apparently being eaten?

WA folks only sorry.

Posted by anthony at 10:03 AM | Permalink

Subscribe between 1 September and 30 November to be in the draw to win. Award-winning Margaret River neighbours Merribrook Retreat and Olio Bello team up to offer SPICE subscribers the ultimate romantic gourmet getaway this Spring. Enjoy an organic farm tour, a private cooking lesson with Olio Bello Chef and a Tuscan picnic for two amongst the Olive Groves before disappearing for a night of indulgence in a luxurious Merribrook Lakeview Retreat Villa, complete with gourmet breakfast (see below the line for terms and conditions). And, as a momento of your stay, take home a VIP membership to the Friends of Olio Bello Club (FOOBIES) and an Olio Bello gift hamper.

1. Information on how to enter and prizes form part of conditions of entry. Enter as many times as you wish, but each entry must constitute a fully paid subscription. Entries not completed in accordance with these terms and conditions are ineligible. 2. Entry is open to anybody over the age of 18 years except employees of Spice Publishing Pty Ltd, Merribrook Retreat, Olio Bello, and their immediate families. 3. The winner will be drawn at random from all subscriptions received and paid for (including any relevant clearance period) between 1 September, 2009 and 5pm on 30 November 2009. 4. This prize is for 2 people for one night in a Lakeview Retreat Villa with a fully cooked breakfast in the Lakeside Lodge. Not valid during High season, public holiday weekends or on a Saturday night. Expires in February 27th, 2010. Prizes are not transferable or redeemable for cash. 5. The draw will take place at the offices of Spice Publishing Pty Ltd, Shop 9, The Biscuit Factory, 330 South Terrace, South Fremantle WA 6162. 6. No correspondence will be entered into. 7. Winners will be notified by phone and/or mail and their names published on the Spice Magazine website. 8. All entries become the property of Spice Publishing Pty Ltd ACN 114 002 050. The entries may be entered into a database for future promotional, marketing and publicity purposes, unless otherwise stated by the entrant. 9. The prize (or vouchers) will be posted or delivered to a street address within Australia as agreed with the winner. 10. Spice Publishing Pty Ltd shall not be liable for any loss or damage whatsoever suffered, including but not limited to direct or consequential loss, or personal injury suffered or sustained during the course of prize winning trips or in connection with any prize.
The winners of the frypan and food lovers packs were: Andrew Quin and Carolyn Martin.

Posted by kate at 4:50 PM | Permalink

SPICE issue 16 is officially out there now - subscribers, will have a copy in their hands now; the rest of you will have get on down to all good newsagents and SPICE stockists.

We're really quite fond of this one because of its great flickthrough values. If you'd like to try a flickthrough test at home, pick up a magazine in both hands and flick through from beginning to end - it should take you about 10 seconds. Then ask yourself how you felt about the magazine - was it samey, did you battle to find any stories, did you notice the same model was used for "how to know if your boyfriend is cheating" story as for a Tia Maria ad ...

Anyway SPRING really captures the proper feel of our philosophy - gorgeous food, yes; but also captivating people; technical pieces; design; wine; growers and chefs; wine and beer ... - it's 86 pages of local food loving goodness diversity captured.

So if you've ever wondered how asparagus is grown, what 29 Margaret River wines taste like, what you'd cook for a hundred or so members of an international gastronomic organisation, what every single cut of chicken is called, where you'd feed yourself in Margaret River, what a bunch of city bars and restaurants are like, how you could espalier yourself into fruit self-sufficiency and more ... you'll enjoy issue 16.

Subscriptions are here. Back issues are here. Advertising is here. Available in all good newsagencies across Australia and overseas and also at the following stockists after the link:

Posted by anthony at 1:16 PM | Permalink

Hello to the first Flavours of Chittering food and wine festival. A great excuse to head out to the rolling hills of Chittering and enjoy a celebration of local produce, wineries, guest chefs, pastry chefs and music the chef, the farmer, the viticulturist and the valley long table lunch. Sunday the 13th September at various locations in the Valley
Details at the website: www.flavoursofchittering.com.au

Posted by anthony at 2:49 PM | Permalink

The winner of the Parmelia Hilton prize of a Sunday night stay in a King Deluxe Plus guestroom with buffet breakfast for two in the Globe Restaurant was Angela Searle.

Posted by kate at 2:25 PM | Permalink